The present disclosure relates to a sandwich panel for an automotive vehicle.
The goal of the body-in-white development is to increase vehicle stiffness and crashworthiness while decreasing weight in order to improve fuel efficiency. The traditional method of addressing such issues is to use higher grade steels in structural components such as, but not limited to, rails, rockers, roof rails, etc. In certain applications, the use of hydroformed components or tubes in addition to adhesives and/or structural inserts have also aided in reducing weight while increasing vehicle stiffness and crashworthiness.
Closed section structural components are generally emphasized as providing such stiffness to weight characteristics. However, it may not always be possible to implement closed section structural components throughout a vehicle due to the difficulty of joining closed section components, among other reasons.
With respect to sandwich panels, sandwich panels have been used in vehicle floors and package trays for sedans to reduce road noise and vibration. Sandwich panels are traditionally made by stamping and molding the face sheets, molding the core into the shape of the sandwich, and then assembling the components together. However, the traditional method of building sandwich panels is costly and the cycle time is too long for mass production.